Effect of total exemption from medical service co-payments on potentially inappropriate medication use among elderly ambulatory patients in a single center in Japan: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Table 3 Summary of the multivariable logistic regression results to predict the use of any PIMs^a or benzodiazepines among the 671 elderly ambulatory patients

	Odds ratio (95% CI)^b
	Unadjusted	Adjusted^c
PIM use
Age	1.05 (1.02–1.07)**	1.03 (1.00–1.06)*
Women	1.26 (0.92–1.72)	1.44 (0.99–2.08)
CCI	1.12 (1.02–1.22)*	0.96 (0.86–1.07)
Polypharmacy^d	8.12 (5.62–11.75)**	8.02 (5.44–11.8)**
Total exemption from co-payments	2.16 (1.28–3.66)*	2.72 (1.45–5.08)*
Benzodiazepine use
Age	1.03 (1.00–1.06)*	1.02 (0.99–1.05)
Women	1.07 (0.71–1.61)	1.07 (0.69–1.67)
CCI	1.01 (0.90–1.14)	0.88 (0.77–1.01)
Polypharmacy^d	4.86 (2.96–7.99)**	4.97 (2.97–8.32)**
Total exemption from co-payments	2.12 (1.16–3.87)*	2.38 (1.22–4.61)*

^aPIMs were defined based on the 2015 American Geriatric Society Beers Criteria
^bThe level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Asterisks indicate a significant association between the selected variable and the use of PIMs and benzodiazepines; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001
^cThese variables were adjusted for age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, polypharmacy, and total exemption from medical service co-payments
^dPolypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications

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